The Beginning of Wisdom

When I was a naive graduate student at CUNY, I was surprised to learn that Camelot merchant Arthur Schlesinger Jr. was conservative. When I dared to question this, the professor would respond with a dismissive, "Oh, he's a Reaganite." They would then overtly let me know that was the end of the debate if I wanted a passing grade (never mind that Schlesinger hated Reagan and begged the equally liberal John Patrick Diggins who was writing a surprisingly laudatory book about the late president to "not make him look too good").
That moment was the beginning of my becoming wised up about what passes for liberalism on the East Coast. The political spectrum there has moved so far left that the vital center -- that collection of New Deal and Great Society enthusiasts -- is considered "on the right." My mind still reels over the claim that the likes of Bill Moyers and Chris Matthews are in the William F. Buckley/Ronald Reagan camp. But in the minds of the New York Left what qualifies them for...(Read Full Post)